Anurag Mehrotra is Ford India's new MD

American carmaker Ford has elevated Anurag Mehrotra as managing director for its Indian subsidiary from his position as executive director, marketing, sales & service, three sources close to the development told ETAuto.

Sources said the carmaker has been scouting for an MD for some time. Mehrotra’s elevation follows a pattern of foreign carmakers appointing Indians to lead local operations. Recently, BMW appointed Vikram Pawah as its president while Audi appointed the Indian-origin Rahil Ansari as head of Indian operations. All these three top executives are 45-year-old or younger.

Mehrotra, 44, will be the youngest MD of Ford India. He played a pertinent role in enhancing sales of EcoSport as vice president, sales, during the launch of Ford’s most successful product in India. He has also been instrumental in increasing exports of Ford from India. In this new capacity, Mehrotra will be reporting to David Schoch, president of Asia Pacific region.

Schoch has responsibility for all of Ford’s operations and partnerships in the Asia Pacific region. He also leads Ford’s operations in China, including Lincoln, the Ford China import business and Ford’s passenger car JV Changan Ford and commercial vehicle JV Jiangling Motors Corporation. He is based in Shanghai, China. Before joining Ford India, Mehrotra was vice president – corporate marketing at WNS Global Services.